2014-2015 Recipients
Below are profiles of the Headliners Foundation’s 2014-2015 scholarship recipients. To read how the scholarships benefitted two of our recipients, please click here.
Founders’ Scholar
Emily de Santos is a senior electronic media and communications major at Texas Tech University. She has served as a photographer at The Daily Toreador for six semesters. Of those six semesters, she has spent the past two as photo editor. She has also freelanced for The Midland Reporter Telegram and contributed to the College of Media and Communication’s magazine, The MC. She will graduate in May 2015, and plans to pursue a career in sports journalism, particularly sports photography.
Jack Keever Scholar
Elisabeth Dillon is a communication studies senior at The University of Texas at Austin. Elisabeth has worked eight semesters at The Daily Texan, UT’s student newspaper. During her time at the Texan, Elisabeth served as photo editor, copy desk chief and a writer for the life and arts department. Elisabeth is now the managing editor for the fall semester. She has previously interned with The Dallas Morning News.
Founders’ Scholar
Zahra Farah is a senior studying journalism and international relations at Texas State University. She previously worked as an intern with Scripps Howard Foundation Wire in Washington. She was also a summer 2013 Chips Quinn Scholar for The Courier-Journal in Louisville, Ky. At San Antonio College, Farah was editor-in-chief for The Ranger, her former college newspaper. She was a fellow of the 2012 Buster Haas Minority Internship Program sponsored by the Texas Associated Press Managing Editors Association, which awarded her a summer internship at the San Angelo Standard-Times. In 2012, Farah participated in the New York Times Student Institute in New Orleans, La. This summer, she is working as an intern for The Seattle Times.
Founders’ Scholar
Tracy Frydberg is a journalism and Middle Eastern studies senior at the University of Texas at Austin. Tracy is completing her first documentary, Project Puente, which explores the relationship between Latinos and Jews in the Americas. She previously interned at the Times of Israel, the leading English newspaper in Jerusalem. Upon graduating in May 2015, Tracy will move to Israel to pursue a career in journalism.
Founders’ Scholar
Katelyn Gough is a rising senior at Southern Methodist University studying journalism, political science and theatre. She served as Editor in Chief of The Daily Campus, SMU’s independent student newspaper, for spring 2014. She began at the paper as a sophomore working as the News and Politics Editor and traveled to Washington, D.C. to cover the 2013 Presidential Inauguration before serving as Assignments Desk Editor during fall 2013. Katelyn spent the summer prior to her junior year working on an independent, grant-funded project reporting on undocumented immigration in the Tucson sector of the U.S.-Mexico border and returned for more work during summer 2014. Katelyn will be studying abroad in Amman, Jordan in fall 2014 as part of a research and reporting project on the Syrian refugee crisis’ effect on Jordanian foreign policy.
Founders’ Scholar
Cassandra Jaramillo is studying multimedia journalism and international business at the University of Texas at Austin. She has been a reporter for Texas Student Television since her freshman year and has spent time at KFDM News in Beaumont and KXAN News in Austin. Cassandra was recently one of four students who were awarded a NBC News fellowship through the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. During her fellowship, she will report on stock markets, finance and related business news at CNBC. She is currently a tutor at the LCAE Journalism Writing Support Program and continues to report on the latest news around the Forty Acres.
Joe Roddy Scholar
Zachary Lozano is a third-year journalism and international relations major at The University of Texas at Austin. He has served as a reporter for The Daily Texan and The Horn and has been a volunteer with Texas Student Television since his freshman year. Zachary will be interning this fall with New Bay Media as an editor and with the McCombs School of Business in its communications department. He will graduate in May 2016 and plans to work as a foreign correspondent reporting on social and political issues in South America.
Sam Wood Scholar
Originally from Iowa, Kate McGuire is a junior BIC Honors Program double major in journalism and sociology at Baylor University. She has worked a semester as a staff writer for The Baylor Lariat newspaper focusing on student government, alumni and editorials. In addition, she started a mentoring organization at Baylor called “Pursue” to mentor 6th to 8th grade girls in the Waco I.S.D. Kate plans to work for an international magazine after graduation.
Texas Associated Press Broadcasters Scholar
Daniela Parraga is originally from Mexico City, but has spent the last nine years in Texas. She is now a senior majoring in journalism at Texas Tech University. In the spring of 2013, Daniela joined KXTQ, the local Telemundo affiliate, where she co-produces, anchors and manages social media and web content. In addition, Daniela is involved with the College of Media and Communication’s student newscast, MCTV Weekday Update, where she anchors and reports. She graduates in December 2014.
Founders’ Scholar
Alyssa Parrish is a senior double majoring in journalism and human rights at Southern Methodist University. As a student, she has worked for SMU’s student-run news organizations, The Daily Campus newspaper and The Daily Update broadcast program. As a reporter, her primary interest is long-form feature writing on social issues and the people they effect in Dallas. Upon graduating, Alyssa hopes to spend a year working with a non-profit organization in India before returning to the states and working as a magazine reporter.
Founders’ Scholar
Kristen Stuck is a senior at Lamar University in Beaumont majoring in communication with an emphasis in journalism and a minor in political science. She has worked at the student newspaper, The University Press, for a year and will be a co-editor for the 2014-2015 year. After graduation, she plans to attend law school to specialize in communication law. She also plans to go into political journalism and become a correspondent for a major news source.
George Christian Scholar
Edgar Walters is a Plan II senior at The University of Texas at Austin. He has worked as a political correspondent at the Berliner Zeitung, a daily newspaper in Berlin, and as a public affairs intern at the Harry Ransom Center, a humanities research archive on the UT campus. He worked for two semesters as an associate editor at The Daily Texan, and is currently an intern at The Texas Tribune.
2014-2015 Headliners Scholarship Recipients
